Mesh-aligning device for wire-netting machines



9 c. w, HAWTHORNE ME SH ALIGNIHG DEVICE FOR WiRE NETTING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1925 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb 8, 1927. 7, 2

c. w. HAWTHORNE 4 MESH'AL-IGNING DEVICE FOR WIRE NETTING mcnmns Filed July2'7, 19 2s s Shets-Sheeiz Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

, uNiTEo STA CHARLES w. HAWTHORNE, OE SHREWSBURY, MAssACHUsEirTS, ASSIGNOR T0 WICH i V WIRE SPENCER STEEL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N; Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

. MESH- ALIGN'I'NG DEVICE FOR WIRE-NETTING- MACHINES.

Application filed. July 27, 1925. Serial No. 46,276.

This invention relates to machines for making hexagonal mesh wire netting, such as the usual poultry netting. In forming such wire netting, a series of filling wires and a series of reel wires are first twisted together in successive pairs and the reel wires are then shifted transversely to match them with the next adjacent filling wires. At the Same time, the take-up roll and the netting already formed is shifted axially, approximately one-half of the distance between adjacent twists in the fabric.

In wire netting machines as previously Operated, the woven fabric and the wire from which the fabric is formed have been unsupported between the twisting gears and the take-up roll, and the position assumed by the wires has been determined largely'by the relative tension of the reel and filling wires. Substantial differences in "tension between the two sets of wires resulted in the formation of unsymmetrical and irregular meshes in the fabric.

It is the object of my present invention to provide means for accurately positioning the fabric and the wires transversely closely adjacent the twisting point so that the successive meshes may be symmetrical in form and that they may also be symmetrically arranged with relation to the preceding meshes. For the attainment of this object I provide positioning members positively engaging the last formed twists in the fabric and positively moving the same laterally to a position exactly mid-way between the points at which the next twists are to be formed. 1 I

My invention further relates to arrangemerits and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of parts of a 'wire netting machine embodying my improvements; 7 r

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof take along the line 22 in Fig. 1; r Fig. 3 is a partial plan view, looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view showing one step inthe Operation of the machine wherein the. mesh aligning bars engage a twist;

p chine.

Fig. 5 shows a subsequent step inthe operation of the machinewherein the twist.

has been drawn above the mesh aligning Fig. 7 is a view showing a step similar to Fig. 5, but wherein the several elements are in the-course of shifting back to the position shown in Fig. 4; and i y Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the aligns mg arms, to be described.

bars, the several elements being in process v Referring to the drawings, I-have shown parts of a wire netting machine including a take-up roll 10 having staples or projections 11 thereon adapted to engage the fabric and to draw the fabric upward'from the twisting devices; A stationary plate 12 is mounted below the take-up roll-10 and; is provided with a longitudinally extended recess 13 in whichla driving rack. 14 is slid= ably mounted. The rack 14 engages a series able support 17 and having a half bearing in the plate 12. A second half gear 18 :is associated with each half gear 16 and each pair of half gears 16 and 18, collectively forms [one of the: twisting gears of the ma- The gears 18 are provided with half bearings in a sliding plate. 20 mounted for move ment longitudinally of the machine and held in position by a guide plate 21 and adjusting screw 22. The sliding plate 20 rests upon a fixed frame member 23 forming 'a portion of the frame of the machine. holding rack 24 is'mounted toslide in the plate 20 andis effective to hold all of the half gears 18 in the same angular relation but is not used for rotating thegears.

A shell 25 fits over the. lowerend. of each rotatable gear SUPPOItl'T and positions. the upper end of a filling bar 26 upon which the filling wire W is wound. The wire W passes upwardthrough an opening 28 with: in the supportl'? and the wire is delivered from the support at the upper end as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The wires R are delivered from reels or spools (not shown) and each wire R passes,

of half gears 16, each mounted upon a rotattwist in the fabric, as clearly indicated in Figs. ltofl', successive twists being formed by rotation lIlOPPOSltS dlrections. After one twisthas been formed. the sliding plate with its half gears 18 is moved longitudinally to align each gear 18 with the next 7 adjacent half gear 16, so that the pairing of the filling and reel wires is changed after each line of twists has been formed in the fabric.

The parts thus far described are of the usual type and in themselves form no part of'my present invention which relates particularly to means for guiding the wires between their points of delivery from the twisting gears and their point of attachment to the take-up roll 10. For this purpose, I provide two series of positioning devices. For supporting one series of positioning devices, I "provide an angle iron 35 fixed to the stationary plate 12 and having a series of projections secured there to and each providing bearing for a pivoted arm37. 7

Each arm 37 is loosely mounted in its projection 36. so that it has limited lateral movement as indicated in Fig. 8. arms '37 is free to move upward, asthe takeup roll is rotated, to clear the cross wires ofthe fabric as they engage the arms 37.

I provide second angle plate 10 on the sliding plate 20 for the support of the second series ofpositioning devices, This angle plate 40 is not bolted directly to the'plate 20 but the bolts 41 extend through slots 4-2 (Fig. 3) permitting a def nite amount of lost motion, so that the travel of the plate 40 is substantially less than that of the slid-- ing plate 20. I

A series of projections 44 are secured to the plate 40 and these projections are slotted to provide'bearings for positioning members 45 pivoted in said projections at 46. A spring 47 holds each member 4;?) normally in the position shown lllFlg. 1 butpermits said members to yield upwardly. when engaged by a cross wire of the fabric. At their outer. ends the members A5 are increased in width as indicated at 48.

Having described the details of construction of my'improved mesh-aligning devices, '1 will now describe the operation thereof, re-

In Fig.

ferring particularly to Figs. 4 to 7.

4; the parts are shown with the half gears.

the opposite side thereof. I nem bers are so POSltlOllEiCl'tllflt each twlst Each of the 7 .ings, and with the twisting gears just com mencing the formation of a series of twists in the fabric. The preceding twist A has been fed upwardly and laterally andeach twist is engaged byan arm 37 on one side thereof and by a positioning member 45 on These arms and A is exactlyhalfway between the axes of two ad acent twist-mg gears.

The twisting gears are then rotated and the fabric is fed upwardas indicated in Fig.

5, forming twists B uniformly positioned with relation to the preceding twists A. The take up roll is then shifted to the right (by mechanism not shown) distance equalto one-half'ot the space between two adjacent twisting gears. By 7 such movement each arm 37 is engaged onthe opposite side thereof and is swung side-ways from the full to the dotted line position shown in Fig." 8, so that while each-twist 13 engages its arm 37 upon the opposite side thereof, it is still exactlycentered between two adjacent twisting gears. I

The members 45 at the same time have received a transverse motion with the sliding plate 20 but by reason of the lost motion conection therewith, this transversemovement is. just sufficient to cause the right hand edge of each neinber to press a twist B against the left hand side of the arm 87. The twists are each thus definitelypositioned exact-1y half way between the axes of two adjacent twisting gears, which are then rotated to form the next series of twists C as indicated in Fig. 7. The parts thereafter re turn to the position indicated in Fig. 4 and the sequence of operations is repeated. 7

It will be noted by a comparison of Figs. 4: t0 7 with Figs. 2 and 3, that the element 15 is pictured in Figs. 2 and nearlycompleting the shift to the left. When completed elements 45 and 37 will be in the position indicated in Fig. Agelement 45 enthe element 37 to the left for twist A and engages a'different element 37 on its right for twist B, this element 45 being mounted as stated heretofore to shift with plate 20. c 1 It will thus be evident that I have definitely positioned and held each twist of the fabric during the formation of the next succeeding series of twists. thus producing substantially uniform and substantially symmetrical meshes in the fabric and thus avoiding the injurious results caused by ir regular tension in the wireslV and R. I

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, '1 do not wish'to be limited to the details herein disclosedotherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a wire netting machine meansto twist the wires,-ineans to shift the wires laterally, and means directly engaging the last formed portion of the fabric to limit the lat eral movement thereof.

2. In a wire netting machine,.means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally, and means directly engaging the last formed port-ion of the fabric to limit the lateral movement thereof in both directions.

3. In a wire netting machine, means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally, a positioning device mounted upon a fixed support and engaging one side of each last-formed twist, and a second positioning device mounted upon a transversely movable support and engaging the opposite side of each such twist.

4. In a wire netting machine, means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally, a positioning device mounted upon a fixed support and engaging one side of each last-formed twist, and a .second positioning device mounted upon a transversely movable support and engaging the opposite side of each such twist,'said support being mounted for transverse movement with said twistin means, and having a lost'motion connec- 6. In a wire netting machine, means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires lat, erally, and means to definitely position the last formedtwists transversely relative to said twisting means and closely adjacent thereto. 7

7 In a wire netting machine, means to V twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally, and positioning means directly engaging tlmlast-formed portion of the fabric to limit the lateral movement thereof, said 130- sitioning means being yieldable upwardly to permit passage of the diagonal mesh wires of the fabric. i' 1 v 8. In a wire netting machine, means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally,- a positioning device mounted on a fixed support at the rear of the fabric, a sec- 0nd positioning device mounted on a transversely movable support at the front of the fabric, .and means to move said second support, said positioning devices being yieldable upwardly to permit passage of the diagonal mesh wires of the fabric. I

.9. In a wire netting machine, means to twist the wires, means to shift the wires laterally, a series of positioning devices mounted upon a fixed support and engaging the last-formed twists at the sides thereof, each of: said devices having lateral lost motion on its support'so that a twist which engages I said deviceon either side thereof will be lo cated thereby in the same transverse position in the machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature. 1

CHARLES IV. HAWTHORNE. 

